The EU at a Migration Crossroads: Speaking With Cecilia Malmström

Migration, initially expected to take center stage at a European Union summit this week, will be pushed aside in favor of other hot-button issues despite the crisis at the bloc’s borders, Cecilia Malmström, European Commissioner for Home Affairs, conceded in an interview.

But the need for action is not going away, Ms. Malmström said. If anything, it may ramp up as refugees pour in from the bitter conflicts in Iraq and Syria.

She made it clear that more far-reaching actions are not in the cards anytime soon, as a push for new initiatives collides with political and financial realities. For example, the EU won’t take over Italy’s costly search-and-rescue operation, Mare Nostrum; set up EU-run asylum application centers at the neighborhood’s hotspots; or give more funding to Frontex, the EU border agency.